1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to accessories for vehicles and, more specifically without limitation, to accessories for maintenance of vehicle tires.
2. Description of the Related Art
The automobile is a dynamic element of everyday life, used substantially throughout the world by numerous individuals. With the number of automobiles being manufactured annually, it is small wonder that there is such as interest in such products to ensure safe operation of all types of motor vehicles. Nowhere is this more evident than in the United States where the great love for the automobile in unparalleled anywhere else in the world. Over the past fifty years, legislative and law enforcement bodies at the local, regional, and national levels have focused on the enactment and enforcement of safety regulations and guidelines, as well as compliance with current laws to ensure the safety of occupants of the vehicles. Some of these laws are centered on activities of motorists themselves, while others have been directed at automobile manufacturers for the production of new vehicles.
Some of the safety guidelines provide for maintaining good tires and good tread on the tires. To maintain good tread on tires, it is imperative that proper inflation pressure be maintained in tires. Proper inflation pressure prevents severe tire wear and provides longer tire life. However, present inflation pressure of a tire is unknown unless a user physically removes the valve stem cap from the tire and checks the air pressure in the tire with an air pressure gauge. If the air pressure in the tire is lower than the recommended inflation pressure for the particular use of the tire, then compressed air needs to be forced into the tire until the air pressure in the tire is returned to the recommended inflation pressure. If the gauge indicates that the air pressure in the tire exceeds the recommended air pressure, the excess air pressure must be released from the tire until the recommended inflation pressure is established. Inflating the tires, releasing excess air pressure, and re-checking the air pressure in the tire can involve many repeated steps until the recommended air pressure in the ire is reached.
What is needed is a device that can be set at a desired air pressure, wherein a tire can be slightly over-inflated and the excess inflation released by the device in a single operation thereby eliminating the repeated inflating and deflating steps of the prior art.